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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25050778">All For The Game</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dead_Fireflies375/pseuds/Dead_Fireflies375'>Dead_Fireflies375</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>DE Artfest 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Exy (All For The Game), Alternate Universe - No Androids (Detroit: Become Human), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Connor &amp; Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Twins, DE ArtFest, DEArtfest, Enemies to Lovers, Exy (All For The Game), F/F, Good Parent Hank Anderson, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Nines is asexual, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Octopunk Media's Detroit: Evolution Fan Film, Slow Burn, Some fluff too, Underage Drinking, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name, based on aftg so there's gonna be some mafia stuff fyi but it's not a full on mafia au, listen they're all enrolled in college together so it's a college AU, no beta we die like men, we'll call him Richard for a hot second and then it's Nines from there on out</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:49:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,070</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25050778</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dead_Fireflies375/pseuds/Dead_Fireflies375</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin Reed has been on the run from his father for the past six years, taking on a different identity with each town he hides in. During his senior year of high school, he decides to play his favorite sport from his childhood, Exy, a bastard sport combining lacrosse with all the aggression of hockey. To his surprise, he receives a full-ride scholarship to Jericho University on the basis that he joins their Exy team.<br/>Jericho's Exy team is known throughout the country as being a ragtag team full of misfits, a halfway house for troubled athletes that somehow manages to keep their Class I ranking despite their poor win-loss record. It's also has become the home of two of the highest-ranking Exy players in the country, two people that Gavin hasn't seen since he's been on the run.<br/>Against his better judgment, Gavin joins the team with the intention to bolt the moment his secret identity is in jeopardy. What he doesn't expect is for one of them to ask him to stay. What he really doesn't expect is for him to actually decide to do so.</p><p>-</p><p>AKA: The All For The Game AU that nobody asked for. Doing this for DE Art Fest, Day 3: College AU.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ada (Detroit: Evolution)/North (Detroit: Become Human), Tina Chen (Detroit: Become Human)/Valerie Morales-Chen, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>DE Artfest 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1814305</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>All For The Game</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Listen this idea has been bouncing around in my heads for like months and then I was super focused on trying to do stuff for DE Art Fest when then suddenly like four days ago I was struck with the realization that this AU could fit under the College AU day. I know it's probably more of a Sports or Mafia AU but there wasn't any Sports day in the Art Fest and I'm already planning on something for the Noir/Mafia AU day so it's getting thrown in here. They're in college so it counts as a college AU lol.</p><p>Fun Fact: This AU has a special meaning to me because the only reason I was interested in the universe of Detroit: Become Human, was because I read an All For The Game fic that was a DBH AU. If I hadn't read that, then I would have never bothered t look into Detroit Evolution when I saw it trending on Tumblr. So without AFTG, I wouldn't have discovered the amazing Detroit Evolution fandom and I am eternally grateful.</p><p>Who am I kidding? I just really wanted an excuse to write some depressed gay jocks fight each (and then kiss).</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gavin was alone in the locker room. This was typical. His teammates had cleared out hours ago, but he had stuck around. Many nights he had decided to crash here instead of risking getting caught sneaking into the house he was squatting at for the time. But after tonight, it was going to be harder to get into the lockers.</p><p>He was on his school’s Exy team, a relatively newer sport. Often dubbed a bastard sport, it was a combination of hockey and lacrosse that was invented back in the 1980s and had quickly caught on with popularity since. It had officially been added to the Olympics about ten years ago and it was becoming one of the most popular sports in the U.S. Gavin had spent the last year of high school playing as his team’s striker. According to his coach, he had taken up the sport surprisingly well for a high school senior who claimed he had never touched the game before in his life. That was a bit of a lie on Gavin’s part. He had played Exy all throughout his childhood up until he was twelve. He hadn’t quit playing by choice, but like most of his childhood, that decision was made for him. When he turned up in this small Arizona town, he decided to take it up again and realized that pretending he was brand new at the game would be easier than having to explain his complicated history with the sport. It didn't take him long to fall back in love with the sport, allowing it to consume his days completely. Not like he had much else to do.</p><p>Tonight was their last game of the season. They had done pretty well, all things considered. It’s not like this area of the country was known for amazing Exy teams. Nothing about their team was especially good or interesting, but Gavin had relished in the opportunity to play the sport again. But now it was over. In a month he graduated high school and then he would be on the run again. He’d pick a new name and a new town and repeat the process, just this time he wouldn’t be able to play Exy.</p><p>He sighed as he lit a cigarette. He had been on the run for six years now, ever since he was twelve and his mother decided that they weren’t going to continue being anywhere near his father. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest decision on her part, but she lasted a good five years before his father had finally caught up to them. They escaped the encounter, but she didn’t last long after that. The memories of her death … Gavin didn’t like thinking about that. She would disapprove if she knew he immediately went to play Exy again once he was on his own. Oh well, good thing she was dead.</p><p>He focused on his cigarette, thinking about where he would hide out next. He may just skip the whole graduation ordeal and leave this weekend. It’s not like forging a high school diploma was harder than any of the other documents he had forged. He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of two men coming into the locker room. He recognized one to be his coach, but the other man he didn’t. He braced himself, ready to run at a moment’s notice if it turned out to be someone who he really didn’t want to see.</p><p>“Oh, Reed! There you are!” his coach exclaimed when he turned down the aisle that Gavin was sitting in, “I’ve been looking for you! This here is-”</p><p>“Hank Anderson,” Gavin finished for him.</p><p>It hadn’t taken long to realize who the other man was once he got a good look at him. Hank was definitely a familiar face to anyone with knowledge of college Exy. He was the coach for Jericho University in Detroit, a Class I team but a controversial one at that. The team was constantly in the press, and not for having a good win-loss record. The team was more of a halfway house for troubled athletes than a functional Exy team. They had a reputation for aggression and were constantly in the public eye. A group of former juvenile delinquents who handled their issues on the Exy field went about as well as you would expect. Their place among Class I teams was controversial at best and they were considered to be the bottom of the tier.</p><p>“I see my reputation precedes me,” Hank said, “Then I’m sure you know why I’m here.”</p><p>“You want to sign me?”</p><p>“That’s right.”</p><p>Gavin paused. As much as he would love to get to play more Exy, there were about a million reasons why this would be a bad idea. Jericho was always in the news as their team members were often a source of drama. Every person on the team was infamous for a variety of reasons and it was extremely easy to find any information about them. Gavin was one of the people who had been keeping tabs on them. He had a different reason than most to be aware of what the team was doing, but he knew for a fact that signing to the team would mean that all of the work he had spent the past eight years in hiding would all go to waste.</p><p>So he did the only logical thing he could do: he ran.</p><p>He heard the sound of his coach and Hank calling after him, but he paid them no mind. He knew he was faster than either of them. He was going to leave this town tonight and throw away the name Gavin Reed. He couldn’t risk getting caught now. Especially with <em>them </em>on the team.</p><p>He was out by the Exy field when it hit him. What it was that hit him, he couldn’t tell at the moment, but the striking pain that hit him in his chest had him on the ground quickly.</p><p>“Nines! There are better ways to go about things,” a female voice scolded.</p><p>Gavin squinted up to where the voice came from. A young woman with platinum blonde hair was standing to the side with her hands on her hips. He recognized her quickly. Ada Wilds. Jersey number one. Team captain of the Jericho Foxes. Dealer. Third-year. Exy was a coed sport, though most teams at the college and professional level were predominantly male. Having a female team captain was even rarer and in Ada’s time as captain, she had been the recipient of lots of harsh criticism from more misogynist sports fans. She handled it all extremely well despite everything and always seemed to walk away from every interview with the upper hand.</p><p>“I stopped him, didn’t I?” came a cold voice and Gavin’s blood froze.</p><p>Richard Stern. Jersey number nine. Lead striker. Second-year. He and his twin brother, Connor, had both attended the University of Pennsylvania for their first year and a half of college. This was to be expected, as Amanda Stern was the Exy coach there, as well as their adoptive mother and one of the founders of Exy. There they had both developed the reputation of being some of the best players at the college level, both played in the Olympics the year prior, were expected by everyone to go pro, and were slated to become a part of the National Exy team. Then they shocked the entire Exy world when it was reported that during Christmas break of their second year, Connor had been in a skiing accident and broke his right hand. Even more surprising, was that he then transferred over to Jericho and became one of the assistant Exy coaches. If that wasn't enough, Richard followed him to Jericho immediately. Now both of the twins were on the lineup for Jericho's Exy team for the fall since Connor's hand had healed. There had been no official statement from Amanda Stern or the University of Pennslyvania on the matter, making it a hot topic to discuss.</p><p>Gavin looked at Richard’s cold blue eyes. He was holding an Exy racquet, presumably what Gavin had been hit with and looked down at Gavin with the calculated look that he hadn’t seen in years. He had only met Richard and Connor once before and they had played Exy together that day. They had been Elijah’s friends and were brought into the room with him when he watched his father dismember one of his subordinates. That night, his mother had packed their bags and snuck them out of his father's house. He had kept his eye on every piece of news about the three of them he could get his hands on since that day. The fact that they had all been at the same level then, but he was the only one who wasn't attending some Ivy League school and being paid to play Exy had caused Gavin to hold more than a little resentment towards them. Gavin braced himself as he got ready to get up and run again. No way in hell was he about to let Richard Stern be the one to blow his cover.</p><p>“I see you’ve met Ada and Nines,” he heard Hank call out, who had finally caught up with them, “And- goddammit Nines what the hell did you do to him?”</p><p>“I stopped him.”</p><p>“I said to wait here to stop him in case he runs, not to break his rib cage.”</p><p>“He’s fine,” Richard replied, lightly touching Gavin’s shoulder with his foot, “Barely hit him.”</p><p>Gavin shakingly stood up, ready to run the second the opportunity presented itself. He eyed the racquet that Richard was still firmly holding. That was going to be a serious obstacle.</p><p>“Sorry about him,” Ada apologized on Richard’s behalf.</p><p>“So as I was saying,” Hank continued, “we want to sign you with us. Yeah, yeah I know it’s super late to do this kind of shit but we’re a bit backed into a corner here. The new striker we had lined up went and got himself locked in prison for a year and we need a replacement.”</p><p>“Wouldn’t be asking you otherwise,” Richard muttered.</p><p>That caught Gavin’s attention. He had assumed the second he realized that Jericho was trying to sign him that either Richard or Connor had figured him out and were here to collect him. But now he entertained the possibility that this could have been a coincidence. What if Richard and Connor didn’t recognize him from that day? He did have his hair dyed dark brown now and wore hazel contacts, not to mention the name Gavin Reed was completely different from the name they had known him under.</p><p>“Why me? I didn’t apply or anything.”</p><p>“Your coach sent us some videos of your performance,” Ada explained, “you’ve got a lot of potential.”</p><p>“Despite your lack of experience, you seemed to take on the sport incredibly well all things considered. We’re confident that given some more intensive practice, you’d become even better,” Hank added, “I should add that we’d be bringing you in under a full scholarship. Money won’t be an issue. And we can bring you in as soon as you graduate here in order to start your training. Due to some … past experiences, we’ve made a deal with the NCAA. Until our first match, you’re going to be kept completely under wraps. You won’t get officially announced till that first day of matches.”</p><p>Gavin paused. This may not be as horrible a situation as he had thought. Nothing about Richard’s demeanor suggested that he remembered Gavin from their childhood encounter. And if he was going to be kept under wraps for a while, he wouldn’t have to worry about being found by his father. This could be an easy way to get some free room and board for a few months. And before he was announced publicly, he could run away and head somewhere else.</p><p>“Do I need to sign some shit?” Gavin asked.</p><p>A relieved look crossed over Hank.</p><p>“Yes. Usually, we would need a parent’s signature too, but we’re really in a time crunch. According to your coach, you’re nineteen so it shouldn’t be an issue not having them here. Uh, your coach said that they’re not usually around.”</p><p>Gavin shook his head, “Business trips.” That was the easy lie he had used to explain their consistent absence. The age part was also a lie. Technically, he wouldn’t be nineteen for another eight months, but as far as Gavin Reed was concerned, he had been nineteen for several months. It made forging the documents he needed to enroll in the school easier if he wasn’t a minor.</p><p>“Right, right,” Hank said as he handed Gavin a stack of papers, “I’d normally say take your time reading this, but again time crunch. We’ve got a plane to catch soon.”</p><p>Ada handed him a pen and he took the papers. He went through and found all the places to sign and initial. It didn’t matter to him too much about what he was promising himself to as he would be gone in a few months and it’s not like Gavin Reed was a real person. Can’t get sued for breach of contract if he doesn’t actually exist.</p><p>Gavin handed Hank the signed papers.</p><p>“What now?”</p><p>“I’ll be in touch with your coach regarding your travel arrangements. Now we’ve got a plane waiting for us. See you in a month, Reed,” Hank declared as he took the papers and began to head out.</p><p>“I’m excited to work with you, Gavin. See you this summer,” Ada added, following after him.</p><p>“Here,” Richard said as he shoved the Exy racquet at Gavin, “Put this back.”</p><p>Gavin wordlessly took it and studied Richard’s face, looking for any signs of recognition. But nothing about the taller male’s composure alluded to him having any idea of who Gavin was. Richard followed Ada out and Gavin was left alone by the Exy field, racquet in hand, trying to process what the hell had just happened.</p><p> </p><p>The next month flew by with little interruption and before Gavin knew it, he was on a plane heading to Detroit. He didn’t have to worry much about packing, all his belongings fit inside a single duffel bag. It was enough to get him through the next few months and to start up somewhere else afterward.</p><p>The plane landed and Gavin made his way to the baggage terminal where Connor was supposed to be waiting for him. Gavin did not look forward to that. Richard might not recognize him, but that doesn’t mean that Connor wouldn’t as well. Besides, he was never a huge fan of the guy. </p><p>Gavin spotted him fairly quickly. Connor Stern. Jersey number eight. Striker. Known as the nice one of the Stern twins, but when you’re being compared to Richard, anyone seems like the nice one. He had a personable persona on television and in interviews, but Gavin had seen enough clips of Connor attacking his opponents to know that it was just a facade. Connor was just as brutal as Richard when they were out on the field. Injury or not, he was a force to be reckoned with out there. Even though he was having to switch to playing with his left hand, he still was one of the highest-ranked players in the country.</p><p>“Hey, you’re Connor, right?” Gavin hesitantly asked.</p><p>“You’re Gavin?” Connor questioned.</p><p>Gavin nodded. Nothing about Connor seemed to suggest that he remembered him either.</p><p>“Great!” Connor said with a smile that reeked of the same fakeness he flashed for the press, “I guess you already met my brother.”</p><p>“Yeah, I did,” Gavin replied while he absentmindedly reached where Richard had hit him.</p><p>“Sorry about him. He’s uh … he means well … well, uhm, for the most part. He doesn’t usually hit people with racquets as a way of saying hello.”</p><p>Gavin shrugged. “It’s whatever. Just a few bruises.”</p><p>“So, should we get your luggage?”</p><p>“This is it,” Gavin said as he gestured to his duffle bag.</p><p>“That’s it?” Connor said, a bit taken aback, “Oh, okay, then. I guess we better head out.”</p><p>The duo went out the doors and Connor led him to the car. It wasn’t anything special, but it was in good shape. Gavin got in the front seat, keeping his bag in his lap despite Connor’s offer to put it in the trunk. Connor flipped on the radio to fill the silence of the car ride, though that didn’t stop him from attempting to start a conversation.</p><p>“So what are you majoring in?” Connor asked.</p><p>“Spanish,” was the quick reply. Gavin had figured he’d pick something that would give him so skills for being on the run. Learning another language would definitely expand his options on where he could go. He already knew French, but that was more useful when he was hiding out in Europe.</p><p>“Nice. Sounds fun. I’m a psychology major, by the way.”</p><p>Gavin only gave a non-committal hum of acknowledgment.</p><p>“Hope you packed some warm clothes,” Connor continued, “It gets a lot colder up here than you’re used to in Arizona.”</p><p>“I’ll manage.” Gavin couldn’t add that he was in fact, very adjusted to cold weather, having grown up in New York and lived in many cold places in the past several years.</p><p>“Okay, well, don’t be afraid to let someone know if you need more stuff. Doesn’t matter how much you’ve got in that bag, I can guarantee you’ll need more.”</p><p>Gavin just shrugged, not wanting to reveal his intention of leaving before they had their first match.</p><p>The conversation died after that. Gavin halfheartedly listened to the radio as he steeled his nerves for the arrival on campus. Sooner than he would like, Connor was approaching the University’s campus.</p><p>“Hank lives in one of the apartment buildings near campus,” Connor explained, “We’ll go there first. You’ll be crashing there for a few weeks since you’re a freshman and haven’t started school, so you don’t officially have a dorm yet. You can drop your stuff off there and we’ll meet up with the others. Then we can head over to the field for some practice.” Connor paused. “Another thing. It’s better to just save yourself the trouble and avoid calling Richard, well, Richard.”</p><p>“Isn’t that his name?”</p><p>“It is. But trust me, it’ll go over a lot better for you if you just refer to him as Nines. Don’t ask about it either. It’s just … something he has strong opinions about.”</p><p>Gavin nodded. He heard Ada and Hank refer to him as Nines before. Guess it made sense. He wouldn’t try to look too far into it. There’s a lot of stuff about him that he wouldn’t want others to look too far into either.</p><p>They pulled up in front of an apartment building. Gavin got out of the car and immediately saw the small group of his new teammates waiting for him. He recognized them all from various articles he had memorized. Tina Chen. Jersey number four. Third-year. Goalkeeper. If it wasn’t for her criminal record, she could have probably been recruited at a more prestigious school due to her skills both on and off the field. Valerie Morales. Jersey number seven. Second-year. Backliner. She had a tendency to get into fights with the other team’s strikers and was known for getting carded often. Chris Miller. Jersey number six. Second-year. Backliner. Gavin hadn’t seen much about the series of events that led him to Jericho, but his tendency to hang out with Tina, Valerie, and now the Stern twins had definitely given him a bit of a reputation. And right in the middle of it all was Richard, or Nines as Connor had warned Gavin to call him, arms crossed and glaring at Gavin.</p><p>“So that’s Tina, Valerie, Chris, and you’ve already met Nines,” Connor explained gesturing to each of them. They all waved at Gavin, save Nines who continued glaring. “The rest of our team will show up in July. Most of the campus is empty right now with it being summer break and all, but I’m sure you can get a tour later. Right now, let’s crash Hank’s place.”</p><p>The six of them headed into the building and went to the elevator. They all crammed in and Tina punched in the floor number. In all honesty, Gavin was quite uncomfortable in this situation. Being trapped in an elevator with the two people who had the potential to expose his biggest secret wasn’t exactly his idea of a fun afternoon.</p><p>The door pinged open and they all filled out the doors fairly quickly. They headed down the empty hallway to one of the doors. Tina fished out some keys from her pocket.</p><p>“He’s in a meeting right now,” she explained as she let them in, “we’ve all got our own copies of a key for emergencies.”</p><p>They walked into the apartment and the others quickly made themselves at home. Nines and Valerie immediately went to opening cupboards as Gavin stood awkwardly in the door frame to the living room.</p><p>“Hey, where is Hank hiding his booze again?” Valerie asked, frustrated.</p><p>“Think he moved it to the kitchen,” Connor told them as he flopped onto the couch.</p><p>Valerie and Nines both headed into the kitchen.</p><p>“Should we really be drinking his alcohol? Especially since it’s three in the afternoon,” Gavin asked, concerned. The team’s nonchalant attitude to breaking into their coach’s apartment and drinking his alcohol, all in the middle of the afternoon, didn’t sit right with him.</p><p>“We’re doing him a favor,” Tina shrugged, “Can’t get drunk on the job if the shitty kids he’s taking care of drank all his alcohol.”</p><p>Gavin didn’t feel alright about it, but they all seemed okay with what they were doing so he decided not to question them. Soon after, Nines and Valerie came back into the room carrying a bottle of alcohol and some shot glasses. They all circled around the alcohol and started pouring themselves shots.</p><p>“Here, Gavin,” Chris said as he handed him a full shot glass.</p><p>“No thanks,” Gavin responded, “Don’t drink.”</p><p>That wasn’t the full truth. His mom had engrained a lot of rules into his head about how to survive while on the run. Getting drunk? An easy way for him to start saying things he shouldn’t and get himself in trouble. Better to avoid it at all costs.</p><p>“Suit yourself,” Chris shrugged and drank the shot himself.</p><p>Gavin noticed the piercing look Nines shot at him when he said he didn’t drink. Other than that, Nines continued to ignore him. The rest drank a few shots before they put it away.</p><p>“Drop your stuff off anywhere,” Tina told him while the others put away the now noticeably emptier alcohol bottle, “Time for practice.”</p><p>Gavin was hesitant to leave his stuff unattended in the apartment, but he didn’t want to arouse suspicion. The less they thought of him the better. It wasn’t long before they were downstairs and squeezing into Connor’s car. The fact that it was not a car meant for six people didn’t seem to phase them as Tina got in Valerie’s lap to save space. The car ride was short and soon they were pulling up to the Exy field. Excitement filled Gavin as he was reminded of why he was willing to take the risk in order to continue playing Exy. He hadn’t been on a proper Exy court since he was nine, the one they had in Arizona was a repurposed soccer field. The idea of going into a proper Exy stadium was exciting.</p><p>They got out of the car and headed to the locker room doors. This time Connor pulled out a key and the group went inside. The inside of the locker room was much nicer than the one that he was used to. Even though the team may get ridiculed a lot, it was clear that there was funding from the school. Tina and Valerie went to the girl's side of the locker room while Nines and Chris went to the boy’s. Before Gavin could follow them, Connor handed Gavin a pile of equipment. Gavin struggled a bit to hold the jersey, helmet, and excessive padding and armor he was handed but he managed to not drop anything.</p><p>“Your official stuff will be here soon, but you can use these in the meantime,” he explained and then followed after the others.</p><p>In the changing room, Gavin opted to change in one of the stalls instead of out in the open like the others. It was a habit he had picked up over the past year, for a host of reasons, least of all the excessive scarring that covered his chest and back. Didn’t need unnecessary questions about that.</p><p>When he was done, he joined the others out on the Exy field. Exy fields were about the size of a soccer field, but with a half-inch wall of plexiglass encasing the whole field. The others were beginning warm-ups on the field and Gavin silently joined them, following along with what they were doing.</p><p>“We’re going to play three against three,” Nines started explaining once they finished with warming up, “No backliners, no dealers. Just two strikers and a goalkeeper. It’ll be me, Reed, and Valerie against Connor, Chris, and Tina. Valerie, you’re in the goal. Since Reed is going to be Connor’s sub, I need to make sure that I won’t be being left completely on my own when Connor is out.”</p><p>Before Gavin could retort that, they all moved into position. During warm-ups, none of them had their helmets on but now they put them on as they prepared for Connor to serve the ball. The helmet Gavin was given was certainly a lot nicer than the worn-down equipment he was used to. It actually felt like his head could be protected by it. They all stood on the half-court line, save for Tina and Valerie who were in the opposing goals. Connor served the ball up and the scrimmage began.</p><p>Gavin had missed the rush of the game. Everything happened so fast, but in the moment he felt like time slowed down. Gavin watched as the ball soared through the air towards Chris and made his way to block him. Chris, a player with several more years of practice on him, was able to avoid him and catch the ball in his racquet, but with that, the game was officially in motion.</p><p>The two teams were surprisingly well balanced. Connor and Nines canceled each other out for the most part and Gavin’s general inexperience was matched by Chris’ lack of familiarity with being a striker. There was a considerably long period of time that passed before either side got close to scoring a goal.</p><p>It was Gavin and Nines who got close to Tina’s goal. Gavin had ended up in an awkward angle towards the goal in an effort to shake Chris off from guarding him. Nines had the ball and Connor was blocking the direct path to the goal. Nines had also used up the ten steps a player was allowed to make with the ball and had no other choice but to pass it to Gavin.</p><p>Gavin had no issue with catching the ball, it was the next part where the difficulty arose. He didn’t have a clear path to the goal. With Chris checking him on one side and Connor approaching from the other side, Gavin knew that if he was going to retain the ball, he was going to have to act fast. There was no other choice but to go for the goal.</p><p>Gavin knew he missed before the ball had even left his net. Everything about the angle and timing was wrong, but Gavin didn’t have any other options in the moment. Sure enough, Tina had no problem defending the goal and the ball didn’t go in. He sighed. It was a bit disappointing, but that was an impossible shot. Nobody could have done it.</p><p>“The hell was that Reed?” he heard Nines yell as he stormed over, tossing off his helmet.</p><p>“Dude, literally no one could have made that shot. It was impossible. Even you couldn’t have done it.”</p><p>“If it was me, then I wouldn’t have been in a position where a shot would have been impossible! I knew you were lacking, but I didn’t think it would be this bad!”</p><p>“Fuck off. I was doing pretty good for a while there.”</p><p>“That doesn’t mean shit. We don’t get points on how well you check your opponent. Your role as a striker is to score goals. If you can’t even do that, then why should you be on the field?”</p><p>“Hey, fuck you. It was one missed shot.”</p><p>“One missed shot could mean the difference between a win and a loss. When I pass you the ball during a game, I expect you to score.”</p><p>“Yeah well, we don’t all get to spend our teenage years being raised by the creator of Exy,” Gavin spat back.</p><p>Almost instantly a change went across Nines face. Gavin thought he was glaring before, but now he looked legitimately pissed off at him. The next thing Gavin knew, he was being slammed against the plexiglass wall as Nines towered over him and grabbed the front of his jersey.</p><p>“Let’s get one thing fucking straight. The only reason you’re here is that we needed a last-minute eleventh member of the team. That’s it. And just because you’re on the team roster, doesn’t mean you have to get on the field. I’d rather be out there on my own then to have a striker who can’t score a goal out there with me. If you can’t score against Tina with only having Chris and Connor as your opposition, then you’re dead weight.”</p><p>Nines let go of Gavin who crumpled to the floor. Nines went back over to the half-court line and put his helmet back on his head.</p><p>“We’re going to keep doing this till Reed can prove that he’s actually capable of playing a striker,” Nines informed everyone.</p><p>Gavin stood up and made his way back into position, wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope that wasn't too horrible!!! This was a bit rushed as I started writing this literal days before I was supposed to post it while also writing stuff for the other days lol. I will continue this for sure, but I may wait till August before my next update because I have several other prompts planned for DE Art Fest that I need to finish first. So keep an eye out for those! And yes I know that these sorts of things are typically one-shots but ... I don't care and I have at least one other multichapter fic coming out for this thing.</p><p>Chapter title comes from "In The Dark" by Dane Terry.</p><p>Yell at me on Tumblr @chaotice-bi-incarnate. I posted some low-quality art I did for the fic on there!</p><p>Comments are appreciated!!! It's been a while since I last really wrote stuff so my skills are a tad rusty. I'll definitely get better as this goes on lol</p></blockquote></div></div>
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